Lambic Beer FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

by Larry Lynch-Freshner (Larry_Lynch-Freshner@taligent.com)
This FAQ contains information culled from the (defunct) Lambic mailing list
archives, the Lambic Digest archives, and discussions with some of the more
frequent contributors.

Please keep in mind that this style, more then any other, is more Art then
Science. That means that no matter how authoritative anyone sounds, they only
really know what has worked for them so far. Several PhD theses have been
written on aspects of this process, and more are certainly to come. Even
commercial Lambic brewers only really know that it works, not how it works.
We, as homebrewers, can only try to achieve an approximation of a Lambic.

In summary: This FAQ, and the Lambic Digest in general is just a discussion of
ideas that have (or have not) worked for others. It is merely a starting
point, and guide, for your own experiments. This is no One True Way, or
gospel of Lambic production. Good Luck to you! and if you succeed, please let
us know how you did it. Oh -- and please don't take Judges Comments about
your beer too seriously, unless you know the judges know what they're
talking about. This is such a different style that most judges don't know
what they are tasting.

What good books exist on these beers?

For Brewing:Lambic by Jean-Xavier Guinard, Brewers Publications.
This is a very good book on brewing lambic beers, though expect longer
maturation times then he presents.

Belgian Ale by Pierre Rajotte, Brewers Publications.
This book is a bit sketchy, but still a good buy. Reactions vary, but general
consensus seems to be mild disappointment. Coverage of strong ale and
specials is better than things like Wit's and 'oud Bruin's.

Just Brew It: Beer and Brewing V.12, 1992 AHA conference notes, edited by
Tracy Loysen, Brewers Publications. This book has a good article on Lambics &
Browns by Michael Matucheski, and an even better one on Lambics by Mike Sharp
and Martin Lodahl.

Lambic Digest & Lambic Mailing List archives. While I tried to distill these
into this FAQ, they remain a good source of information. Do go through them
all though, as opinions change over time.

For tasting:
Michael Jackson (surprise!)
World Guide to Beer.
Pocket Guide to Beer.
Great Beers of Belgium.

How are all these funny words pronounced?

First thing, remember that Belgium has two major languages spoken within its
borders. This means that the are often two pronunciations, if not two
spellings for a lot of words.

Lambic is pronounced 'lom-BEEK'.

Gueuze can be pronounced variously as 'goozuh', 'geuzuh', 'gooz', 'geuz',
'gerz', or 'gerzuh'. Most people seem to have settled on `gooz' or `geuz'.

Kriek is 'kreek'.

Framboise (Frambozenbier) is 'fram-bwahz' ('fram-bozen-beer').

What makes a Lambic so different?

Several things. Generally, the first thing that a taster notices is that the
beer is sour. In the case of a good, traditional Lambic, like those made by
Cantillon or Frank Boon, the beer can be extremely sour. Lambics usually have
a very complex aroma and flavor that is caused by the assortment of wild
yeasts and bacteria present. Lambics also have no hop character at all, only
aged hops are used. Beyond that, the best thing is to taste a few.

Where do I find aged hops?

Sometimes a homebrew supply will have some old hops sitting around. Health
food stores are known for having sometimes very old hops. You can age them
yourself (2.5-3 years is good). A few brewers have had good success with
artificially aging the hops by baking them at 200-300 degrees (F) for 1/2 to 1
hour, then leaving them in the open for a few days.

Sour Mash. This is the method described by Charley Papazian in his book.
Basically, it relies on bacteria sometimes found on grain to sour the beer
before mashing.
Pro: When this works, it allows the brewer very good control over the degree
of sourness.
Con: This method is problematic. Several brewers have tried this with
disastrous or disappointing results. Also, for Lambic's, the sourness
achieved will lack the complexity of the real thing.

Add lactic acid. This method has been used by many people fairly
successfully.
Pro: Allows good control over sourness.
Con: Most sour beers have more to them then their sourness. Adding acid only
gives a one dimensional flavor. This might be a good method for a Berliner
Weiss though.

Culture relevant bacteria/wild yeasts. This is the preferred method.
Pro: Can achieve the most complexity possible.
Con: Difficult to culture, takes a long time to mature.

Won't fermenting Lambics infect my other beers?

If proper care is taken to clean and sterilize equipment, then this has not
proven a problem. Recommendations: Once the special cultures are in the
lambic, it should only be held in glass. If cooperage is used, it should be
in a separate area. More problems might be expected in a larger brewery then
a home brewery, as there are more places for the bugs to hide.

I want to show respect for
Belgian Lambic brewers and their products.

Since a true Lambic can only be produced in Payottenland, by spontaneous
fermentation, what should I call my humble attempts?
Technically, we should not use the word 'Lambic' at all, but because not doing
so is to difficult, many use 'pseudo-Lambic', `pureculture Lambic' or pLambic
for short. The phrase 'Lambic-style' is also used.

What cultures do I need?

For Lambic, you should have at least Pediococcus damnosus(sometimes given as
P. cerevisiae) and one of either Brettanomyces lambicus or Brettanomyces
bruxellensis (using both adds more complexity). Some cultures of B.
bruxellensis seem to have more `horsey' character. There are others, mentioned
in 'Lambic', that can also be used.

For Berliner Weiss (not Belgian, not a lambic, but because it is sour, it is
associated) uses just 'Lactobacillus delbruckii'.

For a Flander's Brown or Belgian Red, unknown. How about some more research
here?

Where can I get the beasts?

Cultures for pLambics can be had from a couple of different sources. Remember
that there is as much variation in `Brettanomyces Lambicus' (or Brux., or
Pedio...) as there is in `Saccharomyces Cerevisiae' (unless you think Whitbread
is the same as, say, that used in Bavarian wheat beer) - only almost no work
has been done in isolating and identifying these strain variations. Try
cultures from different sources, experiment!

Yeastlabs (Dist. by G.W. Kent) produces a Pediococcus damnosus culture and a
Brettanomyces lambicus culture. These cultures were isolated from Cantillon
Gueuze by Mike Sharp and Shari Almeda, and have been through both lab and
brewing tests. G.W. Kent is a distributer, ask your local home brew supply or
favorite mail-order supplier to get these for you.

Wyeast is selling a Brettanomyces (bruxellensis?) culture.

Brewers Resource sells a Brettanomyces lambicus culture now, and will be
adding a Pediococcus culture soon (if not already).

You might also check with the Yeast Culture Kit company.

There are also University & National level yeast collections, but these are
usually difficult to get cultures from as a homebrewer, and very expensive.

How do I culture these bacteria/wild yeasts?

For basic information on yeast culturing, see the yeast issue of Zymurgy, the
Yeast FAQ
in rec.crafts.brewing, or any of the
other good articles
on
culturing that have been published. In general, develop skill at culturing
regular yeasts before even attempting these.

For culturing Pedio., it has been found that it does better in a liquid
culture then on agar. Also, use MRS broth (from Diffco) or add a little
(about 10%) tomato or apple juice to the wort. The media should me autoclaved
(pressure cooked) at 15psi for 20min. Simply boiling will not work, as it
doesn't kill off things like mold spores. Also, a Pedio. culture should _not_
be aerated, as it is an anaerobic bacteria. For both Pedio. and Brett., the
medium should have a little (.5%) Calcium Carbonate as a buffer. Cheap agar
can be had from a health food store or Chinese market.

Both Pedio. and Brett. take quite a bit longer to grow then common beer
yeasts, so give them time. They also will look differently. They will not
get bubbly, or develop a kraeusen on top. Pedio. will sometimes develop a
wrinkly pellicle on top that has been described as 'stringy' or like a 'brain
cross section'. Brett. will sometimes develop a waxy looking pellicle,
sometimes with large bubbles in it. These pellicles are normal, but not
always present. Don't expect a pellicle sooner then a few months, even if one
is going to develop.

When making starters, allow at least a week for the starter to get going.
Possibly two or three for Pedio. Remember, _do_not_ aerate the Pedio.
starter!

How do I make a Lambic?
Again, the book Lambic by J-X Guinard is recommended reading before making a
Lambic, though a brewer should use more aged hops, and expect longer
maturation times then he gives.

In general, the grist consists of:

60% Pale, 2-row malted barley.

40% UNmalted, soft white wheat.
(Can often be found at a health food store)

Hops - Should include 'a lot' of hops in the kettle.
(Guinard says 2.5lbs per 100lbs grain,
which is 4oz for 5 gal, 10lb batch.)
Hops should be aged about three years! They
should have _no_ bitterness or aroma.
Typical varieties: Brewer's Gold, Northern
Brewer, Fuggles, Styrian, Hallertauer, etc.

Decoction Mash:

mash in at 113-120f and rest for 10min.

step to 136 for 15 min.

step to 149 for 15 min.

step to 162 for 20 min.

step to 170 for 20 min.

mash out at 170f

Start sparging at 173f and increase to 190-200f by the
end of the sparge. Yes, you want the tannins.

Infusion Mash:

mash in at 95f and hold for 15 min.

increase to 113 for 15 min.

increase to 131 for 15 min.

increase to 149 for 15 min.

mash off at 162 to 164

boil it, grain & all. Just get it started.

Sparge at 200f

Boil for 2-3.5 hours. Hops go in at the beginning.

After wort has cooled, transfer it to (preferably) a oak cast that has either
been used for wine for a couple of years, or has been treated to remove
tannins. A regular fermenter is OK, but should be glass once before anything
other then a normal beer yeast is added. Start primary fermentation with a
regular, highly attenuating ale yeast, preferably without much flavor. Chico
works well. Inoculate with Pedio. & Brett. cultures. Wait. Wait. Wait.
After a few months you have a young Lambic. This can be aged further, mixed
with fruit, bottled, etc.

Not everyone follows those exact steps of course. Remember, this is an Art,
not a science.

Here are a few recipes:

Martin Lodahl - Batch#1, All Grain

7# 2-row pale

3.5# flaked wheat

.5# crystal

1/3 oz Chinook*

1/3 oz Willamette*

1/3 oz Northern Brewer*
* - Special Process - See Below.

Wyeast 1007 (German Ale) Yeast

Pediococcus Damnosus culture

Brettanomyces Bruxellensis culture

1 tsp yeast nutrient

3/4 cup dextrose for priming.

process:
Hops were fresh hops, treated by baking for 1 hour at 300f,
then left for 3 days in open air.

Sub-batch A was bottled after six months on fruit, the other three are still
in the secondaries (now 17 months since starting the batch). Sub-batch A was
entered in the 1993 AHA Nationals and made it to the second round. Judge's
comments primarily pointed out that the Brettanomyces character horsey,
sweaty) were not strong enough. I plan to combat this problem by pitching
both Brettanomyces lambicus and Brettanomyces bruxellensis along with the
Pediococcus cerevisiae in my next batch. I am considering delaying the
pitching of the Saccharomyces until the Brett and Pedio have had a head start,
but this may be an invitation for molds, acetobacter and unwanted (phenolic)
wild yeasts, so I'm still unsure if I will delay or not.

What about the Brewferm Kits?

Well - they work. Follow all the usual kit rules. I.E. Don't use sugar, throw
away the yeast and use a better brand. With the Kriek kit you must be careful
_not_ to boil the extract, as that will destroy what little flavor is there.
You still need to pitch Pedio & Brett if you want `real' lambic flavors. In
fact, if you are going to wait that long, and do all that culture work, why
use a kit? Go for it! Better success can be achieved by using bulk extract
as in recipe #3 above.

Is a cask required.

No, in fact, not using one makes area sanitation easier. However, results
seem to indicate that using a cask produces more complexity and more 'real'
lambic flavors. There is some evidence to indicate that Brettanomyces has
some affinity with wood, and produces more flavor when in contact with it. If
you use glass fermenters, add some French oak chips - they will help.